


By A Thread

by OneLastMiracle



Series: Batfam Fables [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 03:51:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5191145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneLastMiracle/pseuds/OneLastMiracle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim sounded urgent when he spoke.“Jason, please drop me. I’m begging you. Don’t let me be the reason you die again. Just drop me. I want to die.”</p>
<p>“Well it’s a good thing I have a habit of disappointing people. We die, we die together.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	By A Thread

“Jason, do it.” Tim sounds resigned.

Jason snarls, attempting to pull them both up. “Shut up, baby bird. I’m not doing anything until we’re out of here.”

“You know it’s the only way.”

“Shut up and start cutting.” 

“Jason...” Tim’s almost pleading now.

 “I’m not killing you, Tim.”

“Why not? You’ve tried to before. Almost succeeded. And it’s not like they’ll blame you. You survived and couldn’t save me.

“If I killed you, despite you begging me to, every cape on this planet will be out for my hide. You’re best friends with the goddamn clone of Superman for fuck’s sake. I’m not killing you, now shut the hell up with it.”

“It’s not like you don’t kill people.”

Jason ignored him.

“You’ve killed hundreds of people. This would be no different.”

“Yes it would, you idiot. You’re my goddamn brother whether we like it or not. I’m not killing you, I’m not leaving you to die, and I’m not going to fucking listen to this bullshit.” Jason wouldn’t admit he was getting desperate. Comms were out, no one knew they were here, and truth be told, Jason wasn’t sure he could stand on his own- forget trying to carry Red Robin. This plan was fucked from the beginning.

The next few moments were spent in silence as Jason kept them aloft, trying to find a way out of this goddamned pit- and trying not to focus on the voices that were creeping closer.

“All you’d have to do is let go. Just drop me.” His voice was thin. Blood loss was gaining on him. They only had a little while left.

And Jason, for all his strength and ability was starting to strain. Tim could probably tell they wouldn’t last much longer. “Bruce would kill me. Think of what it would do to him. First Damian, then Dick.” His voice definitely did not waiver. “Don’t ask me to do that. Please, Tim.”

“Just-” Tim began, before he was interrupted by a loud POP, and a second later SNAP. Jason redoubled his efforts, despite the pain in his now dislocated shoulder and broken collarbone. Pain brings focus.

Tim began again, voice still distant. “Was that your-”

“Yep.”

When he spoke again, Tim sounded urgent. “Jason, please drop me.” A shake of his head. “I’m begging you. Don’t let me be the reason you die again. Just drop me. I want to die.”

“Well it’s a good thing I have a habit of disappointing people. We die, we die together.”

It was quiet for a moment, and the elder worried that Tim had passed out, making him further dead weight. “Tim?”

Although they were weak, Tim’s words carried a force of venom in them, biting and harsh. “He hates you, you know? You were the perfect example, what not to do. You were dead. Then you came back, and started killing people. He hates you. We all do. You’re his worst nightmare. That’s why you’re not allowed near Damian. You’ll corrupt him.” Jason felt Tim’s head drop to a rest at his back. “He never cared for you. He just wanted a Robin. I moved in less than a week after your funeral. He didn’t even call you his son, not in death. You’re nothing to him. You’re worse than nothing.”

Jason stilled, his words sharp. “You think I don’t know that, babybird? Try something else, because I’m not dropping you.”

The voices were closer now, closer to finding them. When they did, he wondered if they would pull them up and continue their beating, or just let them fall. Jason wondered what was below them, exactly.

Tim made no further comment, his breath on the back of Jason’s neck was laboured and shallow. “Timmy?” No response. Well, Tim was only moments away from getting his wish, and Jason was surely none too far behind him.

He redoubled his efforts, pulling with every ounce of training and pain and hurt in him, but he couldn’t get over the edge. Footsteps were a few feet away. Death was upon them, and Jason accepted it. He’d already died before. It was death that had hurt, it was coming back. And it was ensured he wouldn’t be coming back again this time. For all of his demons and hate, he was strangely okay with that.

Above them, a gruff voice called out to his cohorts in a language Jason was too exhausted to know. But he knew what it meant. Found them.

And then he was being pulled up. An arm grasped his forearm, and then he and Tim were spilt on the floor, a twisted mess of ropes and blood. 

Jason prepared for a bullet to the forehead, or a knife to the gut. He waited in pained anticipation, teeth gritting.

Hands began undoing the ropes that bound he and Tim together. Perhaps they wanted it to go on longer- Jason wasn’t sure he could last much else, but he would try. Keep them off Tim, until someone noticed their absence.

“These stupid knots.” Jason opened his eyes, recognizing the voice. The man from Spyral. They’d worked together on a mission for Waller about a month ago. “Are you okay?”

“We have to get out of here, but why is Spyral here?”Jason was trying to piece it together, perhaps it was serendipity that saved their life.

Or not. “Not quite, Jaybird.”

There was no way. He was dead.“No.” Jason refused to think it.

“Really look at me, Jason.”

He did. And that stupid fucking grin met his eyes, and Jason wanted to strangle his older brother. “Hey, Little Wing, how’s it going?” He asked conversationally, as he continued to untie his bounds.

“You- you asshole, you’re not dead!” Dick had been expecting gratefulness, instead he got a punch to the jaw. “What the hell, Dick! We had a damn funeral for you!”

Dick recovered admirably, and continued as though this wasn’t earth shattering. “Well, know you know how it feels, to think

The younger couldn’t respond for a moment, dumbstruck. “You fucking- No, okay. That’s not the same. We mourned you.”

He didn’t meet Jason’s eyes. “Yeah. I know.” Dick busied his hands. “Bruce thought-”

“Bruce?! I’m going to kill him.” Dick winced.

“Tim?” Dick moved to inspect his other younger brother. “What happened?”

Jason kicked at him, hard. “You had to wait until the literal last minute, did you? You and your fucking hero complex.”

Dick swept aside the kick easily enough, trying to untangle the other brother at his back. “Jason, what happened?”

“He’s unconscious you absolute twat. Waiting until he bleeds out was part of your plan was it?” Maybe Jason was being a bit harsh, but he had been convinced he was going to die again. He’d accepted it, then this asshole had come in to save the day. “He’s cut his femoral artery, at least. Probably a few broken bones.”

The ropes finally loosened, and Jason rolled onto his back, trying to stop the spasming in his shoulder and lower back. Tim was far too pale, despite Dick fussing over him, doing all he could.

“ ‘m glad you’re not dead, asshole.”

“I missed you too, Jason.”

“You called someone?”

“Dammit, I knew I forgot something.”

“Fuck off.” Jason groaned as he allowed his older brother to take care of him.

\----------

Jason woke in the cave, to no one’s surprise. His shoulder was in a sling, his wounds patched up. He still felt like he had been left in a dryer with a bag of bricks, though. Everything was sore.

Beside him, Tim was in his own bed, hooked up to more machines than Jason was. But his pallor was replaced with a rosy pinkness and he didn’t look to be in pain. Alfie probably gave him pain medication. Jason did his best not to be jealous of someone who’d just been on death’s door.

In a chair between the beds sat Dick. Undead Dick. Never was dead Dick. He felt his anger bubble in his stomach.

Bruce cleared his throat, and Jason found him just by his side, standing darkly. (Jason had no idea how someone stood darkly, but goddamn, Batman knew.)

“Oh, hey B. Surprise! Dick’s alive!” Jason said candidly. “Oh, wait. You already knew that.”

Bruce sighed. “Jason-”

He shook his head. “How long, Bruce?”

Bruce considered him a long moment, his jaw flexing. The moment stretched out. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You fucker, you knew from the beginning!” Jason snarled. He hadn’t realized he’d been getting up until Bruce pushed him back down with a firm hand. “Why didn’t you-”

“Dick told me what you and Tim said.”

“So? I didn’t drop your precious babybird. If Dick had been a second later, I might have. You might want to talk to Tim about the lying though.”

Jason couldn’t make eye contact. Few were strong willed enough to survive the Bat Gaze with their sanity.

“You believed him.”

Okay, that was not where he thought this was going. “So what? I didn’t drop him-”

“Thank you. For saving both -”

“That was Dick.” Without him, they’d both be dead at the bottom of a pit.

“Jason...” Bruce sympathy. Jason almost curled away from the sound of his name, blurred with sympathy. It didn’t sound right on his tongue.

“It doesn’t matter what I believe or said I believed. No one died.”

“You are my son.”

“Right. And thanks for cleaning me up, but I need to get going.” He made to stand up, and Bruce made no move to stop him. He paused as he scooped up the red helmet. “Just one question.”

The older man nodded.

“Is he-” pointing to the oldest son, lounging across Tim’s bed, drooling like an idiot, “-back for good?”

Bruce’s face hardened, back to business. That was all he needed, Jason held up a hand.

“You’d better know what you’re doing.”

“Tim won’t know. Neither will Damian.” His voice was flat and free of any inflection.

Jason walked to the door, taking the opportunity to flick his older brother- who didn’t move. “Not yet they don’t.”

Batman (Because it wasn’t Bruce. Bruce wouldn’t torture his children this way. This was cold and calculated.) stepped forward, posture going rigid. “Jason. You will not compromise Dick for some petty argument.

Jason shrugged his shoulder loosely. “No, I won’t. But you will. Tim had no qualms about me killing him. And Damian has been making more mistakes.” He opened the door. “They need their brother.” He paused before sighing. ”And so do I.”

Bruce said nothing. Somethings never changed. The door slid shut, and Jason prayed he had half the strength of anyone else in this fucked up family.


End file.
